Dishonorable
by Captain Alaska
Summary: When Spitfire finds Steroids in Soarin's room at the Academy and he is tested positive for the drug, he is promptly discharged from the Wonderbolts. His replacement, Rainbow Dash, is skeptical about Soarin using performance enhancers and decides to dig a little deeper to help save his reputation and career. Where will her investigation take her? Will she be able to clear Soarin?
1. Chapter 1

**Dishonorable **

_MLP is the property of Hasbro Studios_

_I've decided to take a crack at my first My Little Pony Story. I really hope you guys enjoy and please excuse any errors. I've watched every episode of the show (thank you Netflix streaming!), but there's still so much I have yet to discover. Please review!_

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><p>Soarin groaned as he attempted to open his eyes from a rough nights sleep. Celestia's morning sun however, had other plans. The pegasus had to cover his eyes with his right front hoof in order to help his eyes adjust to the morning. It also didn't help that Spitfire was banging loudly on his door. "Come on Soarin!" Spitfire yelled as she knocked hard on the door, "Fleetfoot and I are tired of waiting for you to get up in the mornings!" She angrily yelled. Not getting enough sleep gave Soarin a pounding headache which was multiplied by Spitfire's actions.<p>

"Cool your jets Spit!" Soarin called out as he stood up from his bed, "I'll be out in two," he added before something fell off his bed with a clatter. _What in the world? _Soarin questioned as he stared at the small and white bottle on the floor. He craned his neck down and picked up the bottle with his teeth before setting it on his nightstand. Before he could read the label, his door burst open to reveal an angry and impatient Wonderbolt Captain. Spitfire took off her sunglasses and gritted her teeth at her comrade. Soarin jumped when Spitfire burst through his door, forcing him to salute her and leave the bottle in plain sight.

"Anytime now you lazy pony," Spitfire scolded before she noticed the bottle, "up late snacking on apple pies _again_? You're going to get hooked on these sleeping pills kid," Spitfire warned, "and we can't have a drugee on our team, got that?" Spitfire leaned close to Soarin's face. The light blue pegasus gulped while Spitfire threw the bottle across the room. "Soarin, do you still want to be a Wonderbolt?" Spitfire began to pace back and forth, her hoofs clacking against the tile floor.

"Yes Ma'am!" Soarin bellowed out. Spitfire's eyes narrowed while pacing, never taking her gaze off Soarin's eyes.

"Then you have to get back to the program and start getting up at the same time as Fleetfoot and myself or else we'll get somepony from the reserves to take your place, got it?" She jabbed his chest. Soarin's pupils shrunk to the size of pebbles. Being a Wonderbolt was the only thing Soarin knew, having trained for it since he was just a foal. If he lost this, his career, then he would be lost.

"Understood Spit," Soarin said in an apologetic tone. Spitfire rolled her eyes and slid her sunglasses back over her eyes. She began to trot out before turning back to her longtime friend.

"You've got 45 seconds to get your uniform on and meet us at the-" Spitfire said before cutting herself off. Her gaze fell upon the lone white pill bottle that had rolled near the door. However, as the Captain took a closer look at said bottle, she noticed the label peeling off. Curiosity took over the orange and red haired Pegasus as she bit onto the peeling label and ripped the whole thing off the plastic container. Her mouth fell open and her sunglasses fell to the floor as she read the label underneath the faux label.

"Something the matter Cap?" Soarin questioned while putting on his goggles.

"What, is, the **MEANING OF THIS!?"** Spitfire screamed as loudly as she could, knocking the poor Soarin onto his back. The pegasus rubbed his head before attempting to stand up, but was stopped when Spitfire launched towards him and pinned him to the ground. "Read this label_ now_," Spitfire ordered while holding the bottle in her hoof. Soarin rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Yeah, so I bought the cheaper brand of sleeping aids, what's the problem Spit?" Soarin chuckled. Spitfire's gaze grew angrier as she then shoved the whole bottle in Soarin's face.

"READ IT!" She demanded. Not wanting to make his strict captain even angrier, Soarin decided to play along.

"It says: Performance Enhancing... STEROIDS!?" Soarin shouted. Spitfire grabbed the collar of Soarin's uniform. "N-No, I didn't-" Soarin tried to plead his case, but Spitfire didn't listen.

"You're coming with me, you disgrace," Spitfire growled.

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><p><strong>(PonyVille. With Rainbow Dash two hours later)<strong>

Rainbow Dash spread her wings out and stretched them as she bent down on her cloud. "Ready to time me Tank?" The Cyan Pegasus asked her pet tortoise. Tank just stood there and blinked a few times, a stopwatch was sitting atop his head. "Good, now get ready for a new record," Rainbow bragged and started to flap her wings. Her right hoof lowered her Wonderbolt goggles. Tank lifted his head up and hit the start button on one of the blades of his helicopter suit. Rainbow took off at such fast pace, the Cloud dissipated until it was as small as Tank. The Tortoise had grabbed onto Rainbow's tail with his teeth before she took off, giving him a great seat for a ride.

"Go Rainbow!" Scootaloo shouted while racing on her scooter. A long rainbow trail blazed through PonyVille as The Pegasus screamed through the sky. Weaving in and around buildings, Rainbow Dash kicked herself into high gear as her goal to getting to Sweet Apple Acres was growing closer and closer.

"Are you doing okay back there Tank?" Rainbow called. She looked back to see Tank still holding on with the stopwatch still adorning his head. "Good job!" She complimented. Rainbow turned her attention to the big red barn she was approaching. Her eyes darted down to see Big Mac, Applejack and Applebloom all doing their morning chores on the ground. "Hehe, I got an idea," Rainbow grinned evilly as she began to descend. On the ground, Applejack and Applebloom were busy collecting rotten apples for their pigs while Big Mac was hauling huge barrels of apples onto carts to take into town and sell.

"Big Mac, you sure you got this?" Applejack questioned. The red stallion lowered another barrel onto his cart and wiped the sweat from his forehead to take a breather.

"Eeyup," he replied and went back to work. Applejack smiled and turned around back to her little sister.

"Okay, but if you do need help, Ah'm gonna be helping Applebloom," She called back. Before the orange mare could resume her chores, Applebloom's face froze in fear as she saw what was looming behind her sister.

"Oh no, not again!" Applebloom cried out and dove below the chicken coop. Curious, Applejack raised an eyebrow and started to turn around.

"Now Applebloom, what has gotten into you?" She asked her little sis. Just as she got fully turned around, Applejack hit the dirt as a Cyan and rainbow colored blur screamed passed her. "RAINBOW!" The cowgirl hat wearing mare shook her hoof at the pegasus.

"Haha!" Rainbow giggled as the gust of air behind her ripped some leaves and apples from their trees, bombarding poor Applejack. Rainbow Dash came to a halt on the dirt with Tank still dangling from her tail. "New record, aw yeah!" Rainbow pumped her hoof. Applejack was not amused and huffed her way over to her friend.

"Rainbow, how many times to I have to tell you to not do a flyby that close to the ground here? You could've hurt me or more importantly: Applebloom!" Applejack scolded. The goggles came off of Rainbow's face as she grinned just to tick off her southern friend.

"I don't see anypony hurt," Rainbow stuck out her tongue, "the only thing that's broken here is my old record!" She complimented herself. Applejack rolled her green eyes and shook her head.

"Just because you're in the reserves doesn't mean you should try to hurt yourself Rainbow," Applejack advised, "you should train, but train within your limits and not injure yourself right out of what you've worked your whole life for!" Applejack raised her voice.

"Yeah whatever Applejack, no guts, no glory, I wouldn't be surprised if Spitfire made me a Wonderbolt by tonight!" Rainbow joked. Just then, a lavender burst of magic erupted in front of the two mares, scaring them.

"Guys, this is big!" Princess Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as Spike picked himself up off the dirt. Applebloom crawled out from under the chicken coop and joined with her big sister.

"What in tarnation Twilight?" Applejack demanded as she dusted off her lucky hat. "Is there an emergency?" She pressed. Twilight caught her breath before explaining what was going on.

"Sort of, but this involves Rainbow Dash more than any of us," Twilight replied. Rainbow's face froze when Twilight said her name.

"What's going on Twi?" Rainbow asked. Before Twilight could say anything, Spike interrupted.

"Soarin is out of the Wonderbolts!" Spike exclaimed, causing Twilight to glare at her dragon assistant. Rainbow's jaw hit the ground while she soaked in the information. Everypony present stared at her, awaiting a response.

"What happened?!" Rainbow shouted loudly.

**(Five minutes later)**

"Spitfire and Fleetfoot have called for press conference in Cloudsdale at Noon at the Wonderbolts Academy," Twilight explained to the rest of the Mane Six at the Library.

"So you have no idea what happened to Soarin?" Rainbow nervously chewed on her hoof. Twilight sighed as she paced back and forth in front of Rainbow.

"Rainbow, you've asked me that questioned five times in the last five minutes, all I know is that Spitfire announced that Soarin is out of the Wonderbolts and the press conference will explain why," Twilight was beginning to lose her patience.

"Ooh! Maybe Soarin cheated on the Wonderbolts and was seeing the Shadowbolts!" Pinkie waved her hoof around.

"Pinkie," Twilight said calmly.

"No, no, no, maybe Soarin's a super secret agent whose mission is to gain the Wonderbolts' trust and then secretly take them over!" Pinkie offered.

"Pinkie," Twilight said again, growing agitated.

"Or maybe, just _maaaaaayyyybeeeee,_ Soarin was just using the Wonderbolts this whole time to steal their moves and start his own squadron: The Soarin Clouds!" Pinkie grabbed Rainbow by the neck and waved her hoof around.

"Gah!" Rainbow exclaimed, shaking Pinkie off of her.

"PINKIE!" Twilight screamed, finally getting the Pink Party Pony's attention.

"Yes Twilight?" Pinkie asked calmly.

"We don't know yet! And Rainbow knows Soarin' well enough that he wouldn't do something stupid like that," Twilight attempted to reassure her Cyan friend. Spike began to rub his chin in his claws.

"I don't know, Soarin' could just be playing dumb to steal the Wonderbolts' signature moves to sell to a rival flying squadron for the right price," Spike tried to support Pinkie's second theory. Rainbow's eyes narrowed and turned red as she lunged at the tiny dragon and pinned him on the floor.

"Soarin is _not_ dumb!" She screamed at Spike before letting him up off the floor. Spike glared at Rainbow while dusting himself off.

"Jeez, it was just a theory Rainbow, what do you have a crush on him or something?" Spike stuck out his serpent tongue. Rainbow's cheeks turned red as she turned away from her friends.

"Come now Spike," Rarity patted Rainbow's shoulder, "we shouldn't mock our friends for their crushes, we should feel happy and proud for them," the white mare smiled at Rainbow Dash.

"Uh, um, maybe Soarin' injured himself during training and he can't fly anymore?" Fluttershy softly spoke up from the background. Rainbow's blush disappeared as the new thought crossed her mind.

"I don't want to think about that!" She exclaimed and covered her eyes, "Twilight, this is eating me up, I _have_ to know what happened!" Rainbow begged. Twilight looked up the clock of the new library and patted Rainbow Dash's head.

"Well, we have another half hour before we can arrive in Cloudsdale, why don't we just get some cupcakes from Sugar Cube Corner and relax for a little bit?" Twilight offered.

"Good thinkin' Twi," Applejack complimented, "Ah'm sure a quick snack will calm Rainbow's nerves," the orange pony helped a nervous Rainbow out the door.

"Oh and Twlight darling," Rarity started, "don't forget to cast that walking on clouds spell for Applejack, Pinkie, Spike and myself before we leave," the fashionista reminded the lavender Alicorn.

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><p><strong>(Wonderbolts Academy, Cloudsdale)<strong>

The Mane Six plus Spike landed in their hot air balloon in Cloudsdale and were met with one of the largest crowds they had ever seen, almost rivaling that of the Equestria games. "Wow, it's like _every_ Pegasus from here to Fillydelphia is here!" Pinkie commented while bouncing up and down. Bobbing and weaving through the huge crowd of fans, cadets and the press, the Mane Six and Spike arrived at the front of the crowd near the table where Spitfire, Soarin and Fleetfoot were sitting.

"Ah Princess Twilight, what a surprise," Spitfire called from the table. Twilight trotted forward and extended her hoof to the Captain, "I wish we were meeting under more pleasant circumstances Princess, but I am glad you brought Rainbow Dash," Spitfire sighed and took off her sunglasses.

"About that Captain Spitfire, what's happened to Soarin?" Twilight questioned after shaking hooves. Spitfire slowly shook her head from side to side, indicating that it was some extremely serious.

"That'll be explained in a few okay Princess, this is a very deep and personal matter that runs with us Pegasi," Captain Spitfire explained. Twilight bit her lower lip and nodded to Spitfire.

"Thank you Captain," Twilight saluted and turned back to all of her friends. "Okay, Spitfire told me that we'll have to wait for the press conference, but she said what Soarin did went against a deep and personal matter with Pegasi," Twilight reported, "do you two have any idea what it could be?" Twilight asked Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Before the pair could answer, an air horn went off, signaling the start of the press conference. Rainbow got as close to the table as she could and nervously started to chew on her hoof.

"Soarin looks dreadful, the poor dear," Rarity whispered to Applejack whom promptly shushed her. Everypony in the audience quieted down as they patiently awaited Spitfire to speak. The Captain took a drink of water from a glass and cleared her throat into the microphone placed in front of her.

"Good morning Ladies and Gentlecolts; welcome to the Wonderbolts Academy," Spitfire calmly began. "Now, I called this Press Conference today after discussing a terrifying and heartbreaking secret about our _comrade_ Soarin," Spitfire continued and motioned over to the light blue Pegasus who was on the verge of tears. "I'm sure by now you have all heard the rumors that he is out of the Wonderbolts," Spitfire added.

"Is it true Captain!?" Thunderlane yelled from behind the Mane Six. Spitfire took a deep breath and sighed before replying.

"Yes, once this Press Conference has concluded, Soarin will no longer be with our Flying Squadron," Spitfire replied. Suddenly, there was a roar from the crowd of various ponies murmuring to one another and several reporters trying to ask further questions, but Spitfire blew her whistle to silence the crowd.

"What did he do?!" Somepony from the very back of the large crowd demanded. Spitfire's gaze looked back and forth from Soarin to the crowd, trying to gain the strength to reveal what her longtime friend had done.

"This morning, I discovered a pill bottle in Soarin's room where he told me it was just a bottle of sleeping pills, but upon further examination, I discovered it was actually a bottle of Performance Enhancing Steroids," Spitfire revealed. Rainbow's heart stopped on a dime. Her pupils shrunk so small they almost disappeared. This couldn't be happening, this was impossible. Soarin was a loyal Wonderbolt and faithful to the code of Pegasi using Steroids for only medical purposes from injuries.

"BOOOOOOO!" The crowd jeered at Soarin and began to throw rotten vegetables at the Pegasus. Spitfire began to blow on her whistle again to get everypony to silence themselves once again.

"Alright that's enough, he's gone through enough today," Spitfire scolded the crowd. "Now, this was not an easy to decision to make, but it was the right one, and now we have an empty spot that we need filled on our team ASAP," Spitfire delineated. She turned her head to Fleetfoot for further explanation.

"After much consideration between myself and Captain Spitfire, we have elected Soarin's replacement to be Wonderbolts Reserve Member, Rainbow Dash," Fleetfoot announced. The crowd fell more silent than before, taking in the new information. However, Rainbow Dash did not hear the announcement, for she was still in shock at the accusations against Soarin. The rest of the Mane Six were staring at their Cyan friend, waiting for her to say something.

"Do you have anything to say Rainbow Dash?" Spitfire questioned. Spike tapped Rainbow on her ear, bringing her back to reality. She shook her head and gulped at all the things stressing her out.

"Did you test Soarin to see if he actually took Steroids Ma'am?" Rainbow replied. Spitfire and Fleetfoot looked at each other while Soarin still fought back tears as rotten tomatoes dripped from his mane.

"Yes we did and it was a 100% match to Steroids," Spitfire retorded, "you are to report for duty at 0600 hours tomorrow morning, understand Rainbow Dash?" Spitfire ordered. Rainbow slowly shook her head in sadness. Spitfire turned to Soarin and ripped his Wonderbolt's medal from his uniform. He looked up at her sheepishly while Spitfire pointed out the path for him to leave. Soarin began to sadly trot away before he snapped and lunged for the microphone.

"I didn't take any steroids!" He screamed, causing everypony to jump at the sudden burst of noise, "I was framed! I would never jeopardize my only career like this!" He pleaded into the microphone.

"Security!" Spitfire shouted. Two security pegasi ripped Soarin away from the table and drug him outside the academy.

"Go home, you disgrace," one of the guards said. Soarin's eyes welled up with tears as he trotted as fast as he could before taking off for home where he wouldn't be judged.

"Well, congrats Dash, you're finally one of us," Fleetfoot congratulated Rainbow. Yet, Rainbow sighed and looked off in the direction of where Soarin flew away.

"Yeah, thanks, I'll see you tomorrow," Rainbow replied with her head down. Applejack wrapped her front legs around Rainbow Dash and hugged her tightly.

"Hey, you okay there Sugarcube?" Applejack questioned, "being a Wonderbolt meant everythin' to ya, why are you upset?" The orange mare pressed on. Rainbow broke away from the hug and sat down on the cloud.

"It's just that, Soarin and I are good friends. We hung out at the Gala, sort of, we danced at Cadence's and Shining Armor's wedding and we were in the hospital together at the Equestria Games tryouts," Rainbow explained.

"Yeah, but you were a faker pants trying to please everyone!" Pinkie butted in.

"What difference does it make?" Rainbow replied, "we shared the hospital room. I felt bad for the guy when his own team abandoned him just so they could win; from what we talked about, I can tell he would _never_ do something like this. He loves flying with the Wonderbolts, and being away from them for just a few days crushed him. Do you have _any_ idea what he'll be like now that he's kicked out?" Rainbow asked.

"We haven't the slightest clue darling, but it's terrible correct? He'll be a wreck?" Rarity guessed.

"Exactly, I need to go talk to him!" Rainbow attempted to take off, but was stopped by Twilight. "Hey, let me go!" Rainbow demanded. Twilight let go of Rainbow, but used her magic to stop freeze her in mid air.

"Rainbow listen to reason," Twilight instructed, "you need to give Soarin some time before you go talk to him okay? He needs time and space to calm down. He's too emotionally distressed right now to talk to somepony; I'm sure by tonight when Luna raises the moon, you can talk with your friend," Twilight ceased using her magic and let Rainbow fall onto the cloud. Rainbow fought back the tears hard and succeeded.

"Okay Twilight, you win," Rainbow said softly and dropped her head and wings down. Her wings drooped so low that they drug on the cloud.

"So, does this mean a 'Rainbow Dash Finally becomes a Wonderbolt Party' is out of the question?" Pinkie Pie piped up.

**End Chapter 1**

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><p><em>And we'll stop right here. I wanted to make this a one-shot, but it started to grow longer and longer and longer so I decided to split it up into two parts. Next time, Rainbow confronts Soarin. What do you guys think? Do you think Soarin is guilty or do you think he was truly framed? Please review. Constructive criticism is absolutely welcomed, just no flames please.<em>


	2. Digging Deep

**Dishonorable**

**Chapter II: Digging Deep**

_Hey guys, I'm back with Chapter II of Dishonorable. I'd like to apologize for taking so long to get back to this story. I've had my job at the movie theatre of course, and my grandpa is building an addition to my aunt's house and I've been there everyday since Monday helping him out and my dad has been clearing out space in front of our house for an all new deck. Busy has been my THE word to describe my week. Anyway, I'm really happy to be writing this second chapter. Chapter 1 was really fun and I'm glad that I got __every character to act like the real thing. _

_In Chapter II and hopefully the conclusion, (I feel a first time story for a new fandom shouldn't be that long. I wouldn't jump into the deep end of a swimming pool if I was starting day one on swimming lessons) we find Rainbow Dash going to talk with her close friend Soarin' about the accusations and findings about him. Will Rainbow Dash discover Soarin's innocence? Or will she find out that he's been lying?_

_By the way, for the MLP readers who may read this, it puts me in such a good mood when Jeff Gordon wins a race, and he did so Sunday at Dover! But I digress..._

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><p><strong>(8 Hours Later. With Rainbow Dash in Cloudsdale)<strong>

Rainbow Dash had spent the last eight hours in her home, just quietly pondering all of the events that had transpired. At least that had been her excuse, for she had been worried sick about Soarin', her good friend and one of her heroes, besides Captain Spitfire that is. Rainbow had also wanted to take the time to think about just how this had happened. Sure, Soarin' could be a jokester and want to live life to the fullest, but why would he risk his career by taking illegal steroids? Things just didn't add up, and Rainbow wanted to clear his name if at all possible. Twilight had attempted to talk Rainbow Dash into eating something to make her feel better, but the cyan pegasus refused to eat anything. "Okay, I just can't take this anymore!" Rainbow threw her front hooves in the air and rolled off of her bed. She quickly trotted outside her home and took off at a medium pace towards Soarin's house, wanting to be there for him.

Rainbow was smart enough to discard her Wonderbolts Reserve uniform to avoid any unwanted attention from various fans in Cloudsdale, though she was sure she would be spotted. Her rainbow mane was flowing back behind her as the wind whipped through said mane. As she passed other pegasi, her emotions swung towards anger as her ears picked up negative words about Soarin'. Rainbow attempted to drown them out as much as she could by humming the Wonderbolts Anthem, but that only made her think about Soarin' even more.

"Man, what a disgrace that Soarin' is to the Wonderbolts and the good pegasus name!" A voice cut through Rainbow's humming. _Just ignore them Rainbow_ the new Wonderbolt thought to herself. Rainbow clenched her eyes shut, attempting to concentrate on ignoring the hateful comments. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't looking where she was going and ended up bumping into someone.

"Sorry!" A deep yet feminine voice called out as Rainbow Dash snapped her eyes back open. She looked up to see a grey pegasus with a dirty blonde mane and golden eyes that were crooked staring back at her, "I just don't know what went wrong!" The mail mare started to gather up envelopes and boxes on the cloud. Rainbow shook her head and sheepishly smiled as she assisted the pegasus.

"No, it's my fault Derpy," Rainbow admitted, "I wasn't watching where I was going," she added and set the rest of the mail neatly on the pile that Derpy had formed.

"Hey, accidents happen, no problem," Derpy said proudly and set the mail back into her mail bag. She then realized who she was talking to and shook Rainbow's hoof, "Wow! I can't believe I bumped into the newest Wonderbolt!" Derpy said excitedly. Rainbow ended up groaning a bit and rolling her eyes.

"We've met before Derpy," the cyan pegasus reminded the grey pegasus.

"Well yeah, but you weren't a Wonderbolt before then," Derpy explained, "but that sure stinks with what happened to Soarin'," she added. Rainbow clamped her eyes shut again, preparing for another verbal bashing on Soarin'. "I mean, he seemed like a trustworthy pegasus; he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would use steroids, that and he was almost as good as Captain Spitfire!" Derpy stated. Rainbow opened one eye and raised her eyebrow at the same time, just like when she was eyeing the Daring Do book at the hospital.

"Wait a sec, you think Soarin' is innocent too?" Rainbow questioned.

"Oh yeah," Derpy replied, "he was already at the top, what would he have to gain from taking Steroids?" The mail mare questioned, "I personally think he bought a bottle of sleeping pills, but some steroids accidentally got mixed up in the bottle," Derpy gave her theory. Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows, considering the plausibility of that theory.

"You know Derpy, that theory is actually pretty plausible," Rainbow commented as she rubbed her chin with her hoof. "Anyway, I'm off to check on Soarin', but I'll be sure to follow up on your theory," she replied. Before Rainbow could leave Derpy however, the grey mail mare grabbed ahold of Rainbow's mane before she could take off once again.

"I don't think that's such a good idea Rainbow," Derpy forewarned while putting her cap back on her head. The new Wonderbolt raised an eyebrow and slowly turned back around to face Derpy.

"What are you talking about Derpy?" Rainbow slowly asked. The grey pegasus rubbed the back of her dirty blonde mane sheepishly, remembering visiting Soarin's cloud home to deliver his mail.

"Well, you see, when I put his mail through the mail slot on his front door, I could hear muffled crying and a song that was blaring fairly loudly. I don't know what it was, but it was a really sappy and a 'woe-is-me song.' Plus, there was graffiti on the front of his house already," Derpy nervously told Rainbow Dash. Rainbow froze in her spot, contemplating every bit of information that Derpy had given her.

"I can't wait any longer!" Rainbow exclaimed and took off quickly, her back draft causing Derpy to stumble backwards and knock over another pegasus.

"Oops, sorry!" Derpy apologized and ran towards the next house she was set to deliver mail to.

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><p>Tired of flying at a medium pace to Soarin's house, Rainbow kicked herself into full gear to not only reach her destination in no time, but to also ignore all of the negativity surrounding her friend. She also knew better than to ask Derpy just what graffiti had been tagged on Soarin's house; it would've just angered her even more. Finally, Rainbow Dash rounding a street corner and came upon the house of her fallen comrade. A lone box full of Wonderbolts memorabilia, pictures, flight uniforms and goggles were sitting inside the lone box in front of Soarin's front door.<p>

_'Spitfire or Fleetfoot probably dropped that off,_' Rainbow guessed when she landed and folded her cyan wings back onto her body. Her eyes then shifted upwards at Soarin's door where they met red painted words scribbled on the wall of the house. She took a few steps back and covered her eyes and turned her head to avoid reading anymore. In bright red letters were the words _Pathetic Disgrace_. Among them were other words, mainly profanities and claiming Soarin' to be an embarrassment to pegasus kind. Before she went to knock on the door, a rock flew by and smashed one of the windows. Her head snapped around to see a certain pegasus she _really_ didn't want to see.

"Hey Rainbow!" Lightning Dust called, "join me in bringing Soarin' down a few notches for disgracing us?" She offered. Rainbow lunged at Lightning and right hooked her face with her hoof.

"Leave him alone!" Rainbow ordered and threw Lightning across the street into some cloud bushes. Visibly shaken, Lightning flew away to avoid further angering Rainbow. The rainbow maned Wonderbolt slowly approached Soarin's house yet again and scooped the box into her legs and knocked gently on the door. Instead of a reaction from the occupant inside the house, Rainbow was welcomed with a song starting up. It was near the back of the house, but it was still cranked up pretty loud. "Soarin'?" Rainbow called out as she tried the door knob with her mouth and was surprised to find it unlocked. "If you don't want me to come in, you better say something!" Rainbow called out again. And still, she was met with nothing more than a song blasting from Soarin's bedroom.

_I see life and it's passin' right before my eyes_  
><em>And the past is the past, don't regret it, time to realize<em>  
><em>I need to walk on the wire just to catch my breath<em>  
><em>I don't know how or where but I'm goin', it's all that I have left<em>

Rainbow was somewhat familiar with this particular song. She remembered hearing it on a jukebox in one of the various bars in Cloudsdale. One of the sob songs somepony would play when their lives came to a halt or were not going anywhere fast. She never had to play it for herself, yet she was afraid she would get involved with it one day. Rainbow tossed the box onto her back and slowly trotted through the hallway. "Please don't be drunk, please don't be drunk," Rainbow whispered to herself as she turned to the bedroom where the music was blasting from. "Knock, knock?" Rainbow said sheepishly when she poked her head inside the room. No lights were on, but she could see the faint silhouette of a record player near the head of the bed and a body laying motionless atop said bed.

_It don't matter where it takes me_  
><em>Long as I can keep this feeling runnin' through my soul<em>

_Never took this road before, destination unknown_  
><em>Oh oh oh oh oh oh, destination unknown<em>

Soarin' stirred when Rainbow set the box down on the floor and accidentally bumped the bed. "Huh, who's there?" A groggy Soarin' asked and opened his eyes, struggling to get adjusted to the dark. Rainbow sniffed a few times and thanked Celestia that she failed to smell hard Cider on Soarin's breath. Rainbow walked into the light of Luna's moon that shone through Soarin's window to reveal herself to the downed and poor pegasus. "Oh, are you here to mock me and tell me what a piece of garbage I am too?" Soarin' sadly asked. Those words secretly broke Rainbow's heart, but she couldn't blame him one bit for jumping to that conclusion. Heck, she would've said the same thing had the roles been reversed.

Instead of lashing out and correcting him, she gently sat down on the edge of the bed next to Soarin' and twiddled her hooves together, trying to think of how to start the conversation. "I came by to see how you're doing," Rainbow said in a soft voice and gave a slight smile. She could see Soarin's silhouette slightly cock his head to the side before reaching over and turning on the lamp on the nightstand. Rainbow had to shield her eyes momentarily until Soarin' turned the brightness down. She put her hoof down and gasped at what she saw. Soarin's eyes were red and puffy and his cheeks were stained with dry tears. Despite sleeping for Celestia knows how long, Soarin' was breathing deeply.

_Won't be coming back this way, gotta go it alone_  
><em>Oh oh oh oh oh oh, destination unknown<em>

_See a chance gotta take it, wanna meet my fate_  
><em>'Cause the last thing I ever wanted was to find out it's too late<em>

"Soarin'," Rainbow barely breathed out, scared of her friend's condition. The light blue pegasus in question shook his head and sucked in a deep breath before sitting up next to Rainbow. "Please talk to me," Rainbow quietly pleaded. Soarin' looked over to her before looking down at the floor.

"You're not here to mock me or berate me?" Soarin' asked finally after another moment of silence save for the song that continued to play. Rainbow shook her head slowly and scooted a little closer to Soarin' to comfort him. "Well, consider yourself the first and last, 'cause nopony else believes me that I didn't purposely take steroids," the downed pony hung his head low. A lone tear dripped from Soarin's right eye and slowly rolled down his face and fell to the floor. Rainbow hated to see Soarin' like this, so she wrapped a foreleg around his neck and hugged him close.

_No way out when you're in it deeper than the night_  
><em>There's a light at the end of the tunnel and I see it burning bright<em>

_It don't matter where it takes me_  
><em>Long as I can keep this feeling soarin' through my soul<em>

Rainbow had had enough of the song and reached over and shut off the record player, prompting Soarin's head to look back up at her. "I was enjoying that," he said flatly. His friend sighed and hugged him tighter.

"You might think that Soarin', but believe me when I say that listening to songs like that at times like this only makes you feel worse," Rainbow explained. Soarin' choked, trying to stop from beginning to cry again.

"But it's true Rainbow!" Soarin' exclaimed, "now that I can't be a Wonderbolt anymore, what am I going to do? And everypony around here is sick of just the sight of me, nopony is gonna hire me to do anything," Soarin' clenched his teeth in another attempt to stifle his crying. He blinked away a few tears before resting his head on Rainbow's shoulder. "Hey, what's in that box?" The light blue pegasus asked, noticing the brown cube at the foot of his bed. Rainbow let go of Soarin's shoulder and tried to hide the box behind her.

"Oh, it's nothing really, I'm just delivering some old books to uh Twilight's Castle," Rainbow horribly lied. Soarin' got up from the bed to take a look at what Rainbow had brought over and snapped around when he saw the contents of the box. "I'm sorry," Rainbow whispered when Soarin' collapsed onto his bed facedown. Her hoof instantly landed on top of his back and began to rub it.

"I-I-It's just so hard!" Soarin' cried into his pillow. "I mean, I c-c-can handle being accused because I kn-know I didn't do it," Soarin' blubbered, "b-but I can't handle p-ponies calling me a-a disgrace and ha-harrassing me!" He cried out some more.

"Shh," Rainbow cooed, "I'm your friend here, if you need anything," she replied. Soarin' ceased crying and turned his head up to look at Rainbow. He turned his whole body around and hugged Rainbow tightly.

"That's all I need right now Rainbow," Soarin' said softly. Rainbow finally had enough and pushed Soarin' away. "R-Rainbow?" Soarin' asked nervously. The pegasus in question turned around and gave Soarin' a comforting look.

"Soarin, I'm gonna clear your name by tomorrow night, I promise," Rainbow said out of the blue. Soarin's eyes popped out of his head when he heard the statement. "But first, I need to know where you got your sleeping pills from, it's a start," she explained.

"I got them from the local pharmacy, why?" Soarin' asked.

"No reason, it's just a theory I heard," Rainbow replied, "I promise you that by tomorrow night, you'll be a Wonderbolt again," Rainbow restated and turned to leave, but Soarin' stopped her.

"Wait," Soarin exclaimed and rapped his forelegs around her and hugged her. "Thank you Rainbow," he thanked Rainbow and pecked her on the cheek. The cyan pegasus froze while a slight blush crept across her face. Soarin' let a few more tears fall down his face before releasing Rainbow and lying down on his bed. Rainbow slowly walked out of his house and shut the door before realizing a few things.

"Oh man, I can't break this promise to him, but is the pharmacy even open this late?" She asked herself. "And what was with that kiss? There's no way he-" she thought before brushing it off and trotting down the cloud lane to get to the pharmacy.

* * *

><p><strong>(Ten Minutes Later)<strong>

"Oh this is just great!" Rainbow stamped the cloud she was walking on. She was facing the local Cloudsdale pharmacy that had a big CLOSED sign on the front door. "Well, I'm not breaking and entering, but I'm not giving up already," Rainbow said to herself as she took off from the cloud and headed for Twilight's. She zoomed so fast to Twilight's place that her Sonic Rainboom appeared, lighting up the night sky and sending a loud echoing _BANG_ throughout PonyVille. She could see a few windows shatter from the Rainboom, but she had more pressing matters to worry about.

Rainbow landed right in front of Twilight's house and knocked hard and loud on her front door. "Spike! Get the door!" Rainbow could hear from the other side. Rainbow picked up the sound of tiny claws clacking across the floor, growing louder as Spike approached the door.

"Twilight, it's Rainbow!" Spike called when he opened the door. "Rainbow, what are you doing here so late?" The little purple dragon asked. Rainbow shoved her way past the baby dragon and galloped into the main area of the library where Twilight was rubbing her eyes.

"Rainbow, do you have any idea what time it is?" Twilight asked with a yawn.

"Yeah it's almost 9:00," Rainbow quickly replied.

"Okay good cuz my clock broke," Twilight giggled, "so anyways, what brings you here?" she asked.

"Look, I have to get into the Cloudsdale Pharmacy but it's closed already," Rainbow started, "and I know I can't just go in, but with your Princess Stature, you could convince the owner to open up just so we can talk to him, I know he lives there," she explained. Twilight sighed and shook her head.

"Rainbow, I know how much you want to help out Soarin', but don't you think you're going a little extreme?" Twilight asked. Rainbow's eyebrows furrowed angrily at the Princess and she stuck a hoof in her chest.

"Twilight, I talked to Soarin', he's a wreck! I know in my heart that he didn't purposely! I promised him that I would prove his innocence by tomorrow night, so let's get a move on!" Rainbow ordered Twilight and began to shove her outside.

"Okay fine Rainbow, but don't get your hopes up," Twilight warned as the two took off for Cloudsdale, leaving Spike and Owluicious alone.

"Guess I'll get back to my bubble bath," Spike said to himself. Twilight's Owl flew up and perched on the top step of the stairs, waiting for Spike to climb up.

"Who?" The owl hooed.

"Not right now Owluicious!" Spike exclaimed as he acquired a towel from his closet.

* * *

><p><strong>(Back in Cloudsdale)<strong>

"Okay Twi, I just need you to knock on the back door and explain to Pill Bottle that we need to check his sleeping medicine," Rainbow Dash explained to Twilight. The lavender Alicorn sighed and softly knocked on the back door of the pharmacy with her hoof.

"Just please don't give your hopes up Rainbow," Twilight replied after knocking several times. Both ponies froze for a few seconds, waiting for some sort of response. "See Rainbow? Pill Bottle isn't-" Twilight began until the door swiftly swung open to reveal a pegasus with the color pattern of an appaloosa earth pony wearing a white lab coat and crooked glasses with a brown mane. Two orange pill bottles adorned the Pegasus' flank as his cutie mark.

"Hello, do you two have any clue what time it is?" Pill Bottle yawned out as he held a candle on his hoof.

"I apologize sir for bothering you so late, but we needed to ask you a few questions," Twilight replied kindly. Pill bottle used his free hoof to adjust his glasses and gasped at what he saw.

"Oh, please forgive me your highness," Pill Bottle set the candle down and bowed, "what can I do for you Princess Twilight?" the pharmacist asked. Twilight nervously laughed, hating how just about everypony would bow to her.

"Please rise Pill Bottle, I don't like being bowed to," Twilight requested. The pharmacist pegasus rose from the cloud and cleared his throat. He picked up the candle in his hoof and smiled at the two ponies in front of him.

"Okay, now that we got introductions out of the way," Rainbow Dash got in between Twilight and Pill Bottle, "we really need to see your sleeping aids if you have any left," Rainbow explained. The pharmacist rubbed his chin and motioned for the two mares to follow him.

"I have some here in the back room where I sleep," Pill set his candle down on a table and flicked on the lights, quickly illuminated the room. Twilight took notice that the room was actually pretty cozy and there was nice organizational system to the stock.

"You seem pretty organized here Pill," Twilight remarked as Pill searched for sleeping aids.

"Well I take pride in my work your majesty. I'm the only pharmacy around in Cloudsdale, so I figured I would do my best to be a trustworthy source of healthy living," Pill explained while producing two sleeping aid bottles. One was the off brand, and the other was name brand: Sleep Right. "So, which one do you need?" Pill questioned.

"The off brand, Soarin' said he doesn't like paying more than double for the same medicine," Rainbow replied.

"And why did you need to see them?" Pill asked while he opened up a bottle of the off brand sleeping pills.

"We need to see if there's a possibility that the bottles could be switched out with steroid bottles," Rainbow said. Pill chuckled and wiped a tear from his eye. "What's funny there? I'm trying to clear my friend's innocence," Rainbow questioned.

"I check every box these bottles come in with a special X-Ray machine, there's no possible way the pills could be other than what the bottle says," Pill explained. Rainbow and Twilight both saw the special X-Ray machine in the corner.

"Thank you anyway Pill Bottle," Twilight shook the pharmacist's hoof and led herself and Rainbow out the door.

"Here, take the bottle if you need it, I don't mind letting you girls keep an opened bottle," Pill smiled and tossed the bottle to Rainbow whom took it. " And good luck in the Wonderbolts Rainbow Dash!" Pill Bottle called as he shut the door. Rainbow clenched her teeth and shuddered, the compliment only reminding her of how far behind she was now in helping Soarin'. Twilight saw how hurt her friend was and wrapped her foreleg around Rainbow's neck in a hug.

"I'm sorry Rainbow, but I told you this might not get us far," Twilight released Rainbow whom collapsed on a bench nearby. Rainbow rested her head on her forelegs and sighed sadly, her hoof tracing a circle on the wooden seat.

"He's innocent, I can feel it Twilight," Rainbow softly replied. The lavender alicorn sat down next to the cyan pegasus and rocked back and forth on the bench. "The one thing Derpy told me: He was already on top, he had _nothing_ to gain, yet he had everything to lose, so why would he risk it?" Rainbow asked again. Her voice was starting to crack, but she fought back her tears as hard as she could. Twilight smiled a little, knowing just how much Rainbow cared for Soarin'.

"You really like him don't you Rainbow?" Twilight questioned. Rainbow looked up at Twilight with a pout on her face, but the pout soon dissipated.

"Fine, you got me. But you know I'm not into that ooey-gooey mushy romancy crap that Rarity daydreams of everyday," Rainbow replied. "Soarin' is a sweet guy. He's caring, funny, determined, selfless, tough and his laugh can really be cute sometimes," the Wonderbolt listed off the things she loved about Soarin'. "And if I can't help him prove his innocence, then what kind of friend would I be?"

Twilight picked Rainbow up by her shoulders and set her upright on the bench, "You listen to me Rainbow," Twilight jabbed her hoof in the mare's chest, "you've spent time with him just to cheer him up and you're out here in the middle of the night trying to prove his innocence, even if you fail you already are proving that you are a friend that cares and that's really what Soarin' needs," Twilight informed Rainbow. A small smile formed on Rainbow's face for a fraction of a second before disappearing. Twilight sighed and spread her wings out. "Look, why don't you go and get some sleep so you're not drowsy for training?" The princess suggested.

"Alright, but I'm gonna keep at it after training is over at noon! You better be ready for me to knock your door down!" Rainbow joked. "And don't forget to feed Tank for me please!"

"And she's back," Twilight jokingly rolled her eyes and took off back to PonyVille. Rainbow let out a yawn and spread her own wings out. "Sleep does sounds good right now," Rainbow said to herself as she took off back to the Academy. When she landed however, she saw the Academy's doctor, Dr. Mustang, angrily tossing out an old medicine cabinet. Feeling a might curious, Rainbow trotted over to the angry doctor. "Hey Doc, what happened to your cabinet there?" the Mare questioned. Dr. Mustang sighed and adjusted the stethoscope around his neck to keep it from falling off.

"Oh, somepony broke the window of this one last night and stole a bottle of my medical steroids," Dr. Mustang replied, "and to think it was Soarin', I've NEVER had any problems with him before. I've known him for nearly three years now and he hasn't shown any signs of being an addict or needing Steroids for anything," the doc explained.

"Wait, Soarin' told me he had bought Sleeping Pills from the pharmacy last night and was munching on a few apple pies," Rainbow retorted. Dr. Mustang shrugged and turned to go back inside the main building of the Academy.

"I'm not trying to point any hooves here, but I wake up to find out somepony broke into my medicine cabinet and stole a bottle of steroids and then Soarin' just happens to wind up with them in the morning? Doesn't that strike you as just a little odd?" Dr. Mustang asked.

"Yeah it does, but at any point, I want to be 100% sure we know if Soarin' did it or not," Rainbow said.

"Good luck with that, I'm going to sleep," the doc bid farewell and entered the building. Rainbow was about to do the same thing, but saw something strange in the light of Luna's moon.

"What in Equestria is that?" Rainbow asked herself as she approached the broken window of the medicine cabinet door. She bent down and plucked the mysterious strand off the broken glass and examined it. "Yellow hair? Soarin' has jet black hair, and the doc has brown hair," Rainbow said to herself. She began walking into the building and walked right into the kitchen. "Maybe some milk will help me think," Rainbow said as she put the yellow strand of hair on a counter and grabbed a glass and a carton of milk.

"Hey Rookie, what're you doing up so late?" A voice called out in the dark. Rainbow jumped and began to juggle the carton of milk and luckily caught it as the lights flicked on.

"Geez Captain, you scared me!" Rainbow breathed heavily at Spitfire. The Captain chuckled and grabbed a glass of water.

"Can't sleep either I'm guessing?" Spitfire calmly asked after she gulped down her water. Rainbow put the carton of milk back in the fridge and nodded.

"I went and saw Soarin a little bit ago ma'am," Rainbow reported, "there's just something eating at the back of my head that tells me he is innocent, and it wasn't just him ma'am." Spitfire shook her head and put her glass in the sink.

"Ya know something Rainbow Dash? I wish the same thing. Soarin's been my right hand stallion for nearly three years, it came as a shock to me when I found out first hand. I've been thinking all day that maybe this is just a nightmare and I'll wake up in my room and go to train with him like normal," Spitfire explained.

"You don't know the half of it ma'am. I even took Princess Twilight to Pill Bottle's pharmacy to see if maybe his sleeping aids bottle may have been accidentally switched before shipment, but that was a bust," Rainbow said. Spitfire grinned and wrapped a foreleg around Rainbow.

"Come with me kid, I need to give you something," Spitfire clicked off the light and led Rainbow around. Soon, the newest recruit found herself and Spitfire right in front of Spitfire's office. "Ah here they are," Spitfire said as she pulled a pair of official Wonderbolt goggles and an official Wonderbolt golden badge. "I forgot to give you these earlier because of the circumstances," Spitfire cleared her throat. Rainbow held up her new official Wonderbolts uniform accessories and smiled.

"Thank you Spitfire, I'll treasure them," Rainbow smiled. Spitfire checked her clock and yawned.

"Well, see you in the air tomorrow Rookie, and I'll bump down the start of training to seven because of the stressful day," Spitfire winked, "just lock up my office when you're done alight?" Spitfire asked.

"You got it!" Rainbow saluted. The curious mare turned around and saw Spitfire's personal sunglasses lying on the desk. Feeling devious, Rainbow put them on and pretended as if she were berating Thunderlane. "Thunderlane," she said in her best Spitfire imitation voice, "you're a lazy Stallion who couldn't do a barrel roll in a tornado! You'd be lucky to get a job crop dusting! Now get outta my sight!" Rainbow giggled at her fun. She then took of the sunglasses and was about to toss them in a desk drawer when something caught her eye again that night.

She reached her hoof into the drawer and gasped when she pulled out a white bottle with no label on the side. The sunglasses she was holding fell to the top of the desk with a clatter that echoed out into the hallway. She opened the lid to find green pills inside the bottle. Feeling scared, Rainbow used her other hoof which was shaking like a rattle snake's rattle to get out the bottle of sleeping pills that Pill Bottle allowed her to keep. "Please be wrong," Rainbow whispered as she popped off the other lid. She felt as if time was going at 1/4 normal speed as the lid flew off the bottle and bounced off the tile floor several times. She peeked inside and her heart stopped when she saw the same green pills inside the sleeping pill bottle. "No, no," Rainbow swallowed hard and dropped both bottles onto the floor, hundreds of green pills scattered on the floor.

Rainbow started breathing heavily as stood up from Spitfire's chair and shut the drawer and reopened it, hoping it was just a hallucination. But she still saw the two empty bottles on the floor below the desk drawer. Suddenly, she heard Spitfire's muffled voice coming from inside the desk. Rainbow opened the drawer again and saw a bidding compartment switch on the side and clicked it. A door opened and Rainbow found a tape recorder upside down with the play button pressed down.

_Spitfire's Log: This is going to be one of the hardest things I've had to do in my career at the Academy. I've enjoyed and treasured Soarin's time here, but he's gotten to clumsy and lazy with his training. We've been threatened of losing some sponsors to the Shadowbolts if we didn't come up with any new routines. The only way I know how is to get Rainbow Dash on our team. But we've already got six members, any more would throw our whole flying regimen off scale. _

The sound of a label being torn was heard as the tape paused from talking for a brief moment.

_Soarin is still an amazing flyer, but Rainbow is even better, and with her on our team, we can come up with new routines that would knock everypony in Equestria on their backs. I'm sorry to do this to you Soarin', but the Wonderbolts can't move on with you. It's been a pleasure flying with you. End transmission._

The tape came to a stop and Rainbow dropped the recorder back into the drawer. "You know, snooping is a court marshal-able offense," Spitfire said darkly as she re-entered the office. Rainbow's head whirled around to see an angry Captain Spitfire staring her down.

"YOU! HOW COULD YOU!?" Rainbow shouted at the Captain, "He was your FRIEND and you framed him just to help yourself?!" Rainbow screamed even louder. Spitfire stomped over to Rainbow and raised her hoof and struck her across the face, sending her to the ground.

"Watch how you talk to your superior officer!" Spitfire growled and kicked Rainbow in the gut. Tears began to form in Rainbow's face from not only the pain of Spitfire's attack, but from Spitfire's betrayal.

"H-he was loyal to you, how could you be so selfish?" Rainbow asked, choking back her tears. Spitfire kicked Rainbow again and slammed her against the wall.

"Shut up! It was for the good of the team, but now that you found out, I'm afraid _your_ services are no longer required either!" Spitfire spat and threw Rainbow out of her office. "Tell your loser coltfriend I said hi," Spitfire mocked. That did it. That last phrase broke the straw on the camel's back for Rainbow Dash. She got up and lunged at the disgraceful captain with enough force to make the two fly out of the window.

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Rainbow shouted as the two wrestled in the air and threw punches and kicks at each other. Rainbow landed a hard right hook to Spitfire's nose, breaking it and sending spurts of blood shooting out Spitfire's nostrils. Spitfire returned with a kick to Rainbow's gut, sending her flying faster to the ground. The pegasus spread out her wings and caught herself before she hit the ground.

"You're not getting away from me," Spitfire said as she wiped the blood from her face and chased after Rainbow Dash. Rainbow flew through as many clouds as possible, trying to lose the maniacal Captain. The Cyan Pegasus checked her six and didn't see Spitfire behind her. _Oh no, _Rainbow thought as her eyes scanned for any sign of the Spitfire. Suddenly, she was hit from underneath and sent flying towards a cloud house and slammed into the side. Rainbow regained her balance and took off in the air just before Spitfire could reach her.

"You are the biggest disgrace to the Pegasus and Wonderbolt name!" Rainbow yelled as Spitfire chased her. "How dare you call yourself a Captain, you've forgotten the honor and responsibility that comes with the uniform!" Rainbow berated Spitfire even more. Spitfire kept matching Rainbow's moves, making it impossible to shake her.

"When I get my hooves on you, you will wish you never wanted to become a Wonderbolt like me!" Spitfire threatened.

"I would never be a _coward_ like you!" Rainbow retorted. Spitfire kicked herself into high gear and disappeared behind the clouds again, forcing Rainbow to become more cautious of her surroundings. "Come out and fight me like a Wonderbolt, don't hide like a little baby!" Rainbow dared. Bad move. Spitifire lunged from the clouds and tacked Rainbow to the 'ground.' She began to savagely punched Rainbow in the face, trying to knock her unconscious.

"It's a shame Dash," Spitfire said as she prepared to land a final punch, "I was looking forward to flying with-" she was cut off when she was hit in the head with a trophy. Rainbow looked up with her black eyes to see Soarin' with a golden trophy in his mouth and an unconscious Spitfire in front of him.

"Are you alright Rainbow?" Soarin' asked. Rainbow smiled and leapt to Soarin and hugged him.

"She was trying to knock me out Soarin," Rainbow explained through the pain, "she switched the labels on the bottles to get you kicked off the team so she could bring me aboard," Rainbow said. Soarin's eyes widened at the information and held onto his friend as she passed out from the pain.

* * *

><p>Rainbow's eyes fluttered open as a bright white light invaded her eyes. She squinted until her vision restored back to normal and saw her six friends plus a doctor, Spike, Soarin', Princess Celestia and Princess Luna surrounding her. "Ouch, I feel like Cerberus played with me like a rag doll," Rainbow groaned.<p>

"Take it easy," Dr. Mustang said, "you've taken quite the beating."

"Ohmygosh!" Pinkie Pie shouted and jumped up and down, "it was scary! We were all asleep when Soarin' came to us with you in his arms trying to find a hospital in PonyVille! We thought you were gonna be out forever and ever and ever and ever and then you woke up! I can't believe you fought Spitfire! I bet you died a little inside when you had to punch her in the face!" Pinkie rambled.

"Please, give our patient some space," Dr. Mustang gave Pinkie a balloon which calmed her down.

"Where is that rat anyway?" Rainbow rubbed the back of her head.

"I had her thrown in the Canterlot Prison for the time being young Rainbow," Princess Luna replied, "I saw the aftermath of your struggle and personally transported _Miss_ Spitfire to the prison to await trial for assault and medical fraud," the Princess of the Night replied.

"I am sorry you both had to go through that my little ponies," Celestia apologized to Soarin and Rainbow, "nopony should ever have their commander they trust do that to them. It's just sickening what happened," Celestia informed.

"'Scuse me, but Ah'm wondering', with Spitfire gone, who is gunna be the new Captain of the Wonderbolts? And Ah just hope that Rainbow here gets to stay on the team, she deserves it, ain't that right ladies?" Applejack asked her friends. She was met with a chorus of yes and a nod from Fluttershy. Celestia smiled and turned back to Soarin and Rainbow.

"I've decided that with the hard work and loyalty demonstrated by a certain pegasus, that Soarin' is to be the new Captain of the Wonderbolts. He's shown the responsibility and honor that comes with being a Wonderbolt and he did so more than Spitfire," Celestia replied. Soarin' held his head as if he was going to faint.

"Hey, I already fainted last night Soarin', the doc doesn't need anypony else to be konked out right now," Rainbow joked.

"Your highness, this is just such an honor," Soarin' replied and bowed, "thank you so much, I will NOT let you down Princess," Soarin' promised.

"I'm glad to hear that," Celestia replied before turning back to Rainbow, "so Rainbow, I know you and your friends don't write letters to me anymore, but did you learn something that could be put into your journal?" The Solar Princess asked.

"Yes there is, SPIKE!" Rainbow called. Spike jumped up next to Rainbow and pulled out a parchment and quill, "take this down and then put it in the journal," Rainbow instructed.

_'Today I learned that it's always good to know who your true friends are and to always stick by them in the toughest of times. And that just because somepony has a high ranking authority position, doesn't always __mean they know everything or are always right. It's good to stick to your guns and stand by your friends no matter what the circumstance because your friends are forever, a flashy career or rank isn't.'_

"Very good, I hope you make a speedy recovery," Princess Celestia warmly smiled. The mane six and Spike all gathered in a corner to give Soarin' and Rainbow some space.

"You know, I never thanked you for proving my innocence," Soarin' nervously said.

"Oh, and how did you want to do that?" Rainbow playfully smirked. Soarin' gulped and slowly bent down and pecked Rainbow's lips softly, quickly and lovingly. Again, Rainbow froze and felt a warm spark in her chest.

"Okay, but I never thanked _you_ for saving my hide last night," Rainbow finally replied. She propped herself up slightly and planted her lips onto Soarin's, not wanting to stop.

"HOW ADORABLE!" Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves and Rarity squealed in delight. The two Wonderbolts blushed like crazy and parted lips.

"About time guys," Twilight winked at the two.

"So, when you're done here, do you wanna maybe grab some apple pie and some cider?" Soarin' asked. Rainbow put on a fake 'I'll think about it' face just to tease Soarin'.

"I think I'll have to move some space around in my nap planner, but I think I can swing that," Rainbow joked. Soarin' chuckled and pecked her cheek when a Pegasus guard burst through the door.

"YOUR MAJESTIES! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" The guard screamed.

"What is thy problem guard?" Princess Luna asked.

"We have reports of a giant piece of machinery that fell from the sky and crashed near the PonyVille lake! And we believe something may have emerged from it!" The guard explained. The two sisters sprouted their wings and flew out of the hospital while Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie said goodbye to Rainbow and followed the sisters to the PonyVille lake.

"Oh great, just when something else exciting happens, I'm stuck in the hospital," Rainbow pouted.

"Hey, I'm here," Soarin' smiled and sat down in a chair right next to Rainbow's bed, "and I'm not leaving until you're better," he reassured.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><em>WHOO! Finally done! Man this chapter got away from me! I really hope you <em>_guys enjoyed this and I hope you liked the twist! I do not own Destination Unknown which is the song Soarin' was listening to in his home. The Ending DOES lead into my next story which I need a title for. Anyways, have a great Friday and a great weekend guys and stay cool!_


End file.
